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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 2019)
A7 THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2019 USS Plainview: ‘They slowly contaminate the environment’ Continued from Page A1 Stambaugh decided to wait . After waiting nearly a decade, he gave up on refur- bishing the vessel. “By that time, many things had shifted and I decided not to put the boat in service. Instead, I started to scrap it,” he said. After about a decade on Young s Bay, the Plain- view was towed to Hungry Harbor . Stambaugh started the scrapping process but esti- mates that 500,000 pounds of aluminum still remain on the vessel. The hull, a long time curi- osity for people passing by, has caught the attention of the Washington Department of Natural Resources. “It does pose a concern,” said Troy Wood, the derelict vessels removal program manager for the d epartment . “A large portion is on state- owned lands. There are con- taminants in there, some that we may not even know about. It’s just waiting for the hull to corrode through to be released.” Lead paint and asbes- tos were popular materials during the period the boat was built, and can slowly leach into surrounding habitat . “They slowly contam- inate the environment in Luke Whittaker/Chinook Observer Commercial fi sherman Lowell Stambaugh purchased the USS Plainview in 1978 with hopes of turning the former Navy vessel into a fi sh processing and freezer ship. When loan interest rates rose, he decided to scrap the aluminum-laden vessel instead. which they’re laying,” Wood explained. “The same contaminants have been found in salmon and orcas after autopsy.” Removing the colos- sal vessel, however, would come with a considerable expense . “It would be extremely expensive, because it’s metal-hulled and military grade,” Wood said. “There are few places to haul out and deconstruct — perhaps a dry dock in Puget Sound or Portland, but that alone would be expensive to move a vessel that size that far.” A vessel deconstruction facility expected to open in Ilwaco in 2020 could be a possible solution. B ut there are bigger priorities that pose a greater risk in Pacifi c County, Wood said, includ- ing the Hero on the Palix River in Bay Center and the St. Michele on the Willapa River in South Bend . Warrenton: Aging 14-foot levees surrounding the city are critical protections Continued from Page A1 of the garage is built into the right of way, property that does not belong to the homeowner. Other encroachments include things like gates, sign posts, boat dock access ramps, water and sewer pipes, utility poles, trees and access roads — not all of which fall into the “unac- ceptable” category. But the property, specifi cally the garage, near Fourth Street has long been an issue. “And it’s for sale,” Kujala said. It is up to the homeowner to prove the garage does not impact the levee’s ability to withstand a major fl ood. Kujala outlined several steps the property owner could take that had been discussed by the inspection team in January. The last resort would be to remove the structure entirely. But, Kujala noted, none of the options were offi cially sanctioned by Army Corps representatives at the time. There is a question of how much involvement the city wants to assume in enforcing the levee right of way, Kujala said. Will the city work with the property owner to fi nd engineering services, for example? “Half of me wants to help the homeowner, half of me doesn’t want to assume the liability,” Mayor Henry Bal- ensifer said. The City Commission asked city staff and attorney Spencer Parsons to develop a draft policy for the c om- mission to discuss at a future meeting. With around 80 percent of Warrenton located below high tide, the aging 14-foot levees surrounding the city are critical protections that have been the source of much frustration and anxiety . City leaders have worked for years to prove the levee system can protect the city from a 100-year fl ood . If the system were to be accredited by the Federal Emergency Management Agency , the properties behind the levees would no longer be consid- ered to be in the fl ood plain and residents would see lower fl ood insurance rates. Accreditation would also lower some restrictions on development. Kujala hopes to have a fi nal checklist of items that the city needs to address based on the January inspec- tion from the Army Corps later this month. A fi nal inspection report will be issued before September. SPRING INTO NEW WINDOWS & PATIO DOORS WITH Renewal By $ 30 DAYS ONLY! 350 $ 650 Andersen OFF EVERY WINDOW OFF EVERY PATIO DOOR 1 PLUS SPECIAL FINANCING % 0 INTEREST $ 0 MONEY DOWN $ 0 PAYMENTS 2 FOR 12 MONTHS USING U.S. AND IMPORTED PARTS This offer only lasts until April 30 th . Don’t hesitate, call now! (503) 741-4211 Check us out online at RenewalAstoria.com for more details. Window and Patio Door Replacement Experts Google average rating 4.8 READ THE REVIEWS Don’t just take our word for it. Based on over 6,750 projects that have been done in your area, we have earned rave reviews from your neighbors and recognition from key industry organizations. 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